Scope and Content Note

The subseries consists of drafts and other material relating to Wright’s two novels from circa 1958 to 2002. Wright began writing her first novel, This Child’s Gonna Live, around 1958; the novel was published in 1969. The subseries contains complete and incomplete typescript drafts of This Child’s Gonna Live,. Each draft was assigned an arbitrary number; these numbers do not reflect the chronological order in which the drafts were created. Early versions of This Child’s Gonna Live, were titled Tippenneck. Working papers include typescript and manuscript draft pages, annotations, extensive editorial comments by Wright, and notes to herself. These materials are fragmentary and remain in the order in which they were received from the donor; while the working papers do not form cohesive drafts, they do reflect Wright's creative process.

The subseries also contains material relating to Wright’s second novel, Twelve Gates to the City, Hallelujah! This novel, a sequel to This Child’s Gonna Live, was never completed or published. Early drafts have the variant titles Where Is Somewhere Momma or Free Ass Ain’t No Class and Toward Sight. Materials include incomplete typescript drafts, notes, and working papers. Notes and draft fragments relating to Twelve Gates to the City, Hallelujah! may also be found in the working papers for This Child's Gonna Live.